Happy Endings
by AliLamba
Summary: 12 1xR Themes Challenge: 5 // I don't know how to summarize this...Relena's found out that to inherit her family fortune, she must be married by her 25th birthday...which is in less than a week. Pretty darn fluffy.


**Title:** Happy Endings  
**Author/Artist:** AliLamba  
**Rating:** PG  
**Theme:** #5: Five Golden Rings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing. This fanfiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this story, or the use of characters owned by Sunrise and Bandai.

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Note: Flashback denoted with _italics_.

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Relena's scornful look went to the beeping object on her office desk yet again. Without removing her left fingers from massaging her throbbing temple, Relena smacked the item with her free hand. 

"What, Susannah," Relena nearly grunted. She had a very good idea what this was about.

"A-Another bouquet for you, Miss." Did she in fact hear the stutter in her voice? Relena's eyes fell shut with a heavy sigh. Just a few more days…

"Thank you, Susannah. You may bring them in."

Without looking up from the paperwork on her desk, Relena heard the door open quietly and was suddenly assaulted with the perfumed scent of a mammoth arrangement of flowers. She heard her secretary walk towards her desk, pause, and walk in another direction. Relena was reminded of the two vases already on her desk, bursting with enough flora to satisfy a funeral.

_Or_ a wedding…Relena bristled with the thought, slamming her pen on her desk with more force than she intended. Sitting straight up in her chair, she caught sight of the older woman flitting around the room with a strenuous look on her face, wondering where to deposit the gift.

"Just…leave them on the chair by the door, Susannah," Relena gestured, her expression annoyed by the dark red roses dancing around the room. Annoyed would be the least of it.

Susannah tottered over to the proposed chair and deposited the crystal case on the cushion. It held straight, and the older woman backed steadily away, eventually turning back to her employer.

"And with the ring, Miss?"

Relena sighed deeply and brought a hand to her forehead, extending her free hand towards the other woman, "Just, give it to me, Susannah." The velvet box landed in Relena's palm, and she gave the object a miserable look. Without looking up, she addressed the older woman, "You may have the rest of the day off, Susannah. I dare say we'll have much more work to do today other than handling marriage proposals."

She heard the other woman cough, and was suspiciously aware that she was covering a giggle. Relena turned sharp eyes to her secretary, and the older woman left the room after a respectful curtsy.

When the door closed, Relena collapsed into her chair, the small box gripped tightly in her fist. _Oh, goodness, what a week…_

_Donned inher favorite robe, Relena padded down to the kitchens, the early Monday morning light illuminating the halls. While she knew most people despised the start of the working week, Relena loved the day. It meant no more lonely weekends, and a start to the welcome tedium of forgetting your absence of a real social life at the age of twenty-four._

Twenty-five_, Relena remembered, as her birthday was only a week away. The preparations for the event had been getting out of hand, and while Relena had always preferred to ignore the fact she was getting older, politics demanded that the Vice Foreign Minister host galas for even the most mundane event. Perhaps there would be a soirée the next time Relena got her teeth pulled…_

_Voices inside the kitchen made her hand pause on the doorknob. Not because there were voices, no, the employees of the household were very chatty indeed. But it was the fact that they were saying her name which bothered her._

"_Can you believe it? All that money!" one said, probably Melinda. She had that high-pitched tone of voice._

"_I am willing to bet that it eez that Ambassador to the Americas, zat John MeecAdams fellow. He sure eez handsome!" The winsome voice of a late-teenage Parisian. Margie._

"_Goodness, Miss Relena certainly does have all the breaks. Not only does she have all this money already, but just by marrying someone in the next week, she'll have more than anyone could dream of!"_

_Relena's curiosity overtook her. Without mentioning her presence, Relena barged through the door, ignoring the shocked and embarrassed looks of her employees as she dove for the newspaper._

V-F-M TO WED FOR BOO-KOO BUCKS!_ The heinous headline read, and Relena blanched. What in the _**world**_…_

_It had taken only two calls to confirm the allegations, and it had left Relena at midday, pacing her private study furiously, still in her bathrobe and slippers._

_For some reason, the entire Peacecraft fortune had just now been uncovered. The entire Peacecraft fortune and a simple document, entitling the next heir to the riches if he or she were married by his or her twenty-fifth birthday. The funds were tied up with a wealth of legal annalists in the former Switzerland; all who refused to allow Relena the money without meeting the proposed guidelines. It didn't help that the document also stated that if the last heir was not wedded by his or her twenty-fifth, the money would dissolve into the Swiss state, which would lead only to mass corruption and greed._

_It also didn't help that her political advisors were pushing her in the direction of every eligible male alive, thinking it was in her "best interest" to be hitched anyway._

That last thought left Relena jumping to the ground, burying her face in the seat of her cushioned chair and screaming for all she was worth.

The open ring box lay on her desk, an ornate gold band inside littered with three very large, very expensive diamonds.

Relena breathed heavily after abusing her throat, at once onslaught by the pungent aroma of dozens of bouquets. With a last labored sigh, Relena stood from the carpeted floor behind her desk, and surveyed her office. Her gaze found its way to the ring from some hotshot soccer star whom she had met perhaps four times in her life. She grabbed the box and threw it into a desk drawer, the one already filled with three other ornamental engagement rings. It was only Thursday, and already she had received more romantic attention than she had in her entire life. It was suffocating.

Out of the recesses of her mind, Relena barely heard the light knocks on the door. Hadn't she told Susannah to go home already? Relena scrambled to put herself back into her desk chair, smoothing her jacket as if she hadn't just been having a temper tantrum.

"Come in," she said, her voice sounding rushed and inconsiderate as she found some paperwork to look at on her desk. Once again the scent of flowers assaulted her nostrils, and she didn't fight to keep the cringe off her features.

"You can put them on the floor by the window."

She heard the hesitant footfalls, but was suddenly confused. They didn't sound like the sensible heels her secretary wore…Relena looked up from her work, and nearly fainted.

Heero Yuy was staring into a small bouquet of white orchids, one hand jammed into his pocket as he shifted from foot to foot.

"He—Heero?"

Her voice seemed to shake him from whatever reverie he was having, and bloodshot dark blue eyes found hers. Stumbling feet brought Heero farther from the door and closer to her desk, but he stopped a good five feet from the polished piece of furniture. His eyes roved the room, and then found themselves back on the small gathering of flowers in his hand.

"I should have brought roses," he seemed to think aloud, seeming to curse himself.

"No, no," Relena found herself saying as she rose from the desk, "No, those are lovely." She knew her face was probably confused beyond recognition, but she extended her hand to accept the gift.

He seemed almost reluctant to give it to her, but eventually he passed the orchids her way.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Relena tried to smile, "No, they're lovely. Honestly," she was at a loss for words, reeling from finding him in such close proximity, "Thank you."

The corners of his mouth quirked up just enough for her to almost faint again. Did he just…almost…smile?

Relena knew she was staring as she lowered herself back to her chair, still holding the bouquet close to her chest. She remembered what was happening when his gaze locked back onto hers, and she tried to cover her expression with a cough.

"So…so what brings you here today, Heero?" She laid the flowers on her desk, them having come without an ornate case but a simple paper wrapping. They were beautiful.

A cough from his direction made her focus, and she tried to pay attention.

"I…uh, well…" he trailed off, looking down at the rug. He looked around for an empty chair, but the two reserved for guests were currently overflowing with pollen and petals. He grabbed one vase and placed it on the ground, dragging the chair directly in front of Relena's eyesight. The two garlands already on her desk would have blocked his view.

"I…I heard about the news…"

Relena's heart abruptly dropped into her stomach. Suddenly nothing could ever be worse than Heero's presence in her office.

"Heero," she raised a hand to stop him, though he was having problems coming up with words to say, "I know what you're going to say, and you don't need to say it." She ignored the way his face darkened with confusion, and how his mouth dropped open just enough to imply speech.

"I will not let you sacrifice your life over a sum of monetary value, no matter the cost to my own personal welfare. Trust me; there are many other politicians who are much more capable as to be willing to—"

"I'm serious, Relena."

Relena froze.

"Ex-excuse me?"

Heero seemed completely composed.

"I'm serious."

Relena shook her head involuntarily, drawing back into the confines of her office chair. She hadn't seen him in months, not since the Peace summit he was working security for…Wait, what was she thinking! This was Heero Yuy! They weren't a couple by any means of the word, and there was certainly no reason for him to be serious. She looked at him incredulously.

"But—but we haven't even dated!"

"Yes we did."

Relena stared at him, aghast, "I certainly don't remember there being any dinner, Heero."

"September nineteenth, AC204. We had dinner."

Relena remembered that day very well. "Heero, I was in the hospital for exhaustion. I didn't want to eat the hospital food."

"And I took you to get better food. We ate. Together. That is a date."

The Vice Foreign Minister was suddenly under the impression that Heero had looked up what a "date" was. The thought brought a rare smile to her face.

"All right, one date. I don't see how that constitutes a marriage."

"More than one date," was her calm response from the man sitting straight up in the chair opposite her desk.

"Two dates?" she questioned with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"May third, AC197 to January seventeenth, AC200. I escorted you to exactly twelve political functions."

"Heero, you were my bodyguard."

He fixed her with a no-nonsense stare, "I escorted you. Those are dates."

Relena brought a hand to the side of her face, trying to piece together what Heero was saying. Suddenly, she smiled.

"And then there was the evening at the academy, correct? Where we danced?" she looked up at him, questioning. She found a small dip of his chin as an affirmative.

"And then the time in Antarctica, when I came and found you," a grin exposed her pearl-white teeth, "A weekend getaway, that must have been terribly romantic."

Heero inclined his chin again.

"And then on Libra," she recalled now, nearly bursting with mirth, "Stuck all alone together in that room, oh how sentimental."

Heero seemed to notice that she was starting to get sarcastic. His fists seemed to clench together on his lap. "Was I mistaken?"

Relena let her gaze linger on Heero's face, her mind replaying all their precious few moments together. She supposed she had fallen in love with him at some point, but marriage was something much too far away from their current predicament. Relena had to reign in her thoughts.

"Heero…" she said tentatively, trying to draw him out, "Why did you really come here today?"

A pause descended over the room, though it was neither uncomfortable nor forced. Eventually Heero found him mouth working sensibly.

"I just thought…that I could help." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small object, thought Relena knew exactly what it was. The simple gold band slid onto Relena's desk with a slight _ping_, and Relena found herself staring at the loop devoid of engravings or jewels.

"You know I can't accept this, Heero," she nearly whispered, finding him in the room again. She saw his chin dip again, but he didn't move to retrieve the gold piece.

"I just thought that you could give the money to charity, or something," he almost grumbled, turning away from her, "We could get the marriage annulled pretty quickly afterwards."

She smiled though he didn't see, "That was my plan," she nodded, "but you of all people don't need to sacrifice yourself to this petty cause." There was that word again, _sacrifice_. Relena had lost count as to how much she had given up personally, but she supposed it didn't really matter now.

"Would it help if I wanted to?"

Relena started in her seat. She found herself stuttering to herself, not able to really grope words inside her head.

"Excuse me?"

Heero stood unexpectedly and walked around the desk, grabbing the ring as he went. He dropped to both knees before Relena, most likely from not knowing how it was actually done.

"It's for the best, Relena. I know you care for me, and you might know that I…" Heero took a deep, calming breath, and suddenly looked from the floor to her eyes, "That I care for you too." Relena was still gaping like a fish out of water.

"We could make it work. As little as I know about the world, I know that there probably isn't another woman I would respect more. You're very strong, Relena." Certainly not feeling very strong, Relena could only manage to shake her head numbly.

"But…what if this doesn't work, Heero? What if we can't make it work?" Was she actually considering this? If she was, Heero was definitely catching on.

"There's always divorce, Relena."

Relena nodded her head slowly, finding the sense in the situation. Part of her was screaming that he had just walked in five minutes ago, that the rest of her life would probably be cursed with emotional upheaval after emotional upheaval. But a larger part of her brain, and her heart, said that this was probably what she wanted.

She felt Heero's hand clasp one of her own. It was clammy and warm, and Relena suddenly noticed the sweat breaking out across his brow and the desperate look in his eyes. Relena wanted to gasp at the honesty he was presenting to her, but found herself smiling warmly instead.

"But we've never even kissed yet, Heero," she considered, unconsciously giving his hand a soft squeeze. His expression didn't respond to the intimate notion.

"Your helmet got in the way."

Pink stained her cheeks, and Relena felt the warm fuzzy feeling developing in her abdomen for the first time in months. She _was_ actually considering this.

"Heero, I just don't think—"

Soft lips pushed against hers, freezing Relena in place. As soon as she was sure that it was a kiss, that _Heero Yuy_ was giving her a kiss, the warmth was gone. Her unfocused eyes landed on the dark blue eyes of the former Gundam pilot, giving her such a bare, vulnerable stare that Relena forgot to breath.

"There, we've kissed," he finally breathed. "We've kissed, we've dated, we've known each other for years. There isn't any reason why you shouldn't let me do this for you."

Relena nodded soundly, at once realizing what he was thinking.

"But what about love, Heero." It was more of a statement than a question, though they both knew what it meant.

"Maybe…" he considered, looking to the ground for answers, "Maybe that comes with the whole marriage idea. Maybe I learn what that means later, and you get to use all that money for good now."

Relena nodded again calmly, sensing that he had actually thought about the idea of a lasting commitment to her. Indeed, there was nothing in the contract that the marriage should be a lasting one, only that vows were to be exchanged by her twenty-fifth birthday…who better to rely on than a friend? And perhaps there would be something to their relationship, later, if only he would stay by her side long enough to discover it for himself.

Marrying Heero Yuy meant fulfilling a fantasy dreamed up when she was a teenager, but perhaps the marriage was to fail? What if he were to leave her again, or if he found someone else? Could she live knowing that her marriage was a sham, knowing that love wasn't a factor her husband considered? Relena turned to the papers on her desk, lifting the top layer of documents to the manila folder labeled "Charity" underneath. There were so many in such a more desperate situation than she…

Relena turned resolute, kind eyes on Heero, finding his mouth set in a grim line.

"I'm a stubborn woman, Heero Yuy," she tried to say as gravely as possible. To her satisfaction she saw his face fall, every muscle there sagging under disappointment. Her own mouth slipped into a small smile, and she leaned in, inches away from his face.

"You have until Saturday to convince me further."

Heero's eyes suddenly lit, though his face struggled to remain as impassive as possible. With slightly sweaty, albeit steady hands, Heero Yuy slipped the gold band onto Relena's left ring finger. It fit perfectly.

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The end! Oh, glory me. This sort of came out all at once, without a very stringent editing process. You can probably notice where I left for the grocery store, because I was so miserably fed up with how stuck I was in the middle. Ho hum… 

That was…oh, so fluffy. I'm not going to be ashamed of this, because the idea, I'm going to pretend, was somewhat sophisticated. Go me! Go…creativity! I guess! Not really. Um, well, nevermind. Time to do some of that "actual" work.

Thank you for reading! -Ali


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